Celebrate World Earth Day in the Organic Garden

Today is World Earth Day it is older than me as it started in 1970. U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, a Wisconsin native, is largely credited for organizing the first Earth Day in spring 1970, a time when it was still legal for factories to spew noxious fumes into the air or dump toxic waste into nearby streams. He wanted people to think about their impact on the planet and change the abuse of nature. As an Organic Gardener, this topic is dear to my heart. I know there is more I can do to celebrate World Earth Day in the Organic Garden.

10 ideas to celebrate World Earth Day in the Organic Garden

1.Plant a tree.

Trees help purify the air give wildlife a home, and planting them isn’t as difficult as you might think. Tree planting is best done between October and April. Avoid planting in waterlogged (water sitting on the soil surface or pooled in the bottom of the hole) or frozen (too hard to get the spade in) soil. Check out – my guide to Planting fruit trees

2.Start a compost pile.

Composting takes your kitchen scraps and converts them to nutrient-rich food for your soil. You’ll add less trash to the landfill and make your plants happy. Get my guide to 50 things you can Compost here.

3.Use a rain barrel.

Conserving rainwater is a great way to make less impact on the earth while growing a greener garden. A rain barrel is also a relatively easy DIY project. Check out this tutorial.

4.Switch to a push mower.

Switching to a push mower saves you money on electricity or gasoline. Plus, it’s great exercise! Even if you only use the push mower every other time you mow, you’ll be making a positive impact on the environment and the air quality in your neighbourhood.

5.Water smartly.

Give your garden a drink during the coolest part of the day, so more water has a chance to seep into the ground before it evaporates. You’ll save water over the long haul. Or use a timer and an irrigation system.

6.Think about where you order your seeds from

Think about where you order your seeds from – make sure they are from an organic, none GMO source and if you can local.

7. Use less plastic in the garden

As gardeners, we have a tendency to use plastic pots and plastic labels and plastic netting in the garden. Yes, a lot of these things are re-usable but try making pots from toilet roll holders, or getting coir pots that are bio-degradable. Or try making labels from stones or used ice-lolly stick.

8.Plant Comfrey

What is brilliant about comfrey is that it contains high levels of all the essential nutrients for plant growth: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium together with many other trace elements. It produces these from a deep root system extending right into the subsoil that most edible plants cannot access. When cutting comfrey it is advisable to use gloves as the hairs on the stems can irritate skin.

There are many great ways to use comfrey around the garden:

Mulch: Leaves can be cut and left to wilt for a couple of days. Then you piling them around hungry plants such as potatoes and tomatoes as a thick mulch.

Dig in: Wilted leaves can be dug into the ground that is being prepared for a new crop and will break down to give an excellent feed.

Liquid Fertiliser: Comfrey leaves can be crammed into a large container with a hole in the bottom with a small container underneath to catch the thick black liquid which will be produced in a few weeks. Weighing the comfrey down with an old brick will help this process and some people add rainwater but this does make the resulting ‘comfrey tea’ smell awful! Once produced, the liquid should be diluted 15:1 with water before using it as a leaf feed for plants such as tomatoes.

9. Build a Bug Hotel

Build your own bug hotel well and it could shelter anything from hedgehogs to toads, solitary bees to bumblebees, and ladybirds to woodlice.

10. Make a wildlife pond

Another way to encourage wildlife into your garden including frogs, which are great at dealing with slugs is to build a pond. A wildlife pond is perhaps the easiest type of pond to construct. It doesn’t require a pump, so it needn’t be close to a source of electricity. A wildlife pond is built to look like a natural part of the landscape. Because it isn’t stocked with fish, it is attractive to frogs, slugs, water sliders, and other animals that may come to it to have a drink or bathe away. Here are some instructions on how to build a natural pond.

I hope this gave you some great ideas to Celebrate World Earth day. If nothing else today go out and enjoy the great outdoors. If you want more Earth day ideas try these posts